1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to various garments that hold Jackson-Pratt type post-surgical drain bulbs and tubes so as to conceal such drainage systems from public view.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Following a surgery such as a mastectomy and the reconstructive procedures that follow the mastectomy, a patient is left with a dressing over the incision or wound where the surgery was performed. In addition, a drain tube emanates from the wound or incision site which tube terminates in a drain bulb. Such a drainage system, often referred to as a Jackson-Pratt drain, allows for removal of fluids from the surgical sight and out of the patient's body where such fluids are collected in the drain bulb and thereafter disposed.
While such post-surgical drains are necessary to prevent infections and other post-surgical complications, the drains pose certain problems for the patient. As most patients desire to become ambulatory as quickly as possible after the surgery, the drain system must be carried by the patient. While the patient is in the hospital, this typically poses few problems as many patients are carrying some form of medical appliance. However, when the patient gets back to the real world and must carry the drain system when in public, the drain system, which can be rather unsightly for non-medically trained persons, can make many patients quite self-conscious if the drain system can be viewed by others.
Some patients simply carry the drains system about without much thought or attention to what others think or say. However, many other patients attempt to hide or otherwise conceal the drain system from plain view. One of the simplest concealment methods is to simply carry the drain system, including the bulbs and associated tubing, underneath clothing and using the clothing to somehow secure the drain system. While this method works to some extent, it can be quite difficult to use a waist band or other article of clothing to securely hold the drain system so as to give the patient reasonable freedom of movement. As a result, many such patients must be careful of their every movement less they disturb the drain system or otherwise cause a painful pull on the tubing.
Other patients place the bulbs into either outer pockets or a fanny pack and conceal most of the tubing underneath the clothing having only a small portion of the tubing exposed to view. Still others place the bulbs into outer pockets and wear over-clothes so as to have a concealment layer of clothing. Although these methods generally provides a more secure method of holding the drain system, such methods still tend to be somewhat awkward for the patient and limit the selection of clothing that can be worn.
To address these concerns, specialized clothing has been proposed which clothing is designed to help a patient hold a drain system concealed from public view. Such clothing, which gives a user substantial freedom of movement, tends to be function driven so as to properly hold the drain system. As a result, fashion takes a back seat restricting the looks a patient can achieve. Other clothing, which looks more normal style-wise, tends to either be relatively complex in its holding feature, making such clothing relatively expensive to manufacture, or holds the drain system loosely so that the drain system moves about during the performance of normal activities by the user. This can result in many problems including having the drain system becoming exposed to view and causing a painful pull on the tubing at the incision site, among others. Additionally, such concealment systems tend to leave the patient with a bulge protruding through the clothing which tends to look unnatural.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a device that allows a patient who has a Jackson-Pratt type drain system to be able to perform normal everyday activities in public while carrying the drain system. Such a device must conceal the drain system from public view while allowing the patient to have a broad range of movement without fear of the drain system becoming inadvertently exposed. Such a device must allow for normal clothing styles that are not unduly expensive relative to their non-drain-system holding counterparts. Such a device must minimize the risk of the drain system creating a painful pull on its tubing at the incision site and should not create an unnatural looking bugle on the clothing of the patient.